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Monday 10 February 2020

Poetry Monday: Relatives . . . and Funnies

It's Poetry Monday, and this week's topic is ..... RELATIVES.

Join Diane, MotherOwl, Mimi, and me in tackling this topic. You can leave your poem in the comments, or post on your own blog; if you do the latter, please leave a note in the comments so we can find your poem. Use the topic or choose another - the intention is to have fun and exercise our brains.

Eagle-eyed readers might note that I've made a change to my Profile in the right sidebar. I've finally put into actual words the expectation I've always had in my head about comments here, including poems submitted for Poetry Monday. No more mind-reading required :)

On to the main event!

*****

It was only a couple of weeks ago that we had the topic "connections" and I apologize to participants for suggesting "relatives" for this week because it is so similar.

It was unintentional -- chosen without remembering the previous topic.

It hit me about a day later what I had done, and I've been struggling all week (as you may have, too) to come up with a different angle to write about.

And thus we come to Sunday evening, the pressure is on, and I am still racking my brain.

I have already fallen down several internet rabbit holes, including articles about our relatives the monkeys (who share about 93% of human DNA), the chimps and bonobos (who both share almost 99% of human DNA), great apes, lesser apes, Curious George, prehensile tails, why macaques might have better dental hygiene than some of us do, and . . . procrastination, because by now that topic seems like a better fit, and the "rules" for Poetry Monday, such as they are, allow for choosing a different topic. But it feels like that would be a stinking, low-down, rotten thing to do when it's my choice of topic to start with :)

So, I am resorting to my usual trick when the ideas won't come -- writing a very short poem with the hope that I can find at least one tiny nugget of truth and convey it.

*****

And Now I Bequeath It To My Offspring

I don't know just how
I acquired my chin
But the blame for my nose
Falls fully on my kin

*****

And now, in honour of the first "angle" I was exploring for this week, I offer you some funnies with our simian friends in them . . .





























































My personal favourite this week :)


*****

Next week's topic will be ......BLUE.

Good luck!


Have a good week, my friends!



46 comments:

River said...

I love your short and sweet poem :) I know exactly where I got my nose and chin from and through me and my descendants, my mother's cheekbones will live on forever. Sadly, my firstborn, a girl, got my father's nose and she thinks it is unfair that no-one else has it.

Elephant's Child said...

Smiling at the funnies.
Wincing at your poem.
My mother had long feet. My father had broad feet. I have both - to the extent that it is difficult to find shoes that fit. my father's little toe crossed over the one next to it. I got that too. Thank you family. Thank you ever so much.

dinthebeast said...

I like your poem, and along those same lines, I'm thankful that I got my hair from my mother (even if the color is a little different) as I'm 59 and I still have most of it, whereas my dad was bald in his thirties.

-Doug in Sugar Pine

Diane Henders said...

Your poem made me giggle, and so did the monkey funnies! I particularly liked the string theory lecturer, and the 3% escape made me laugh out loud!

Well done on your updated profile, too. :-)

Anonymous said...

Short, succinct and funny. My fave is Escape Plan.

Charlotte (MotherOwl) said...

Short and to the point. Noses are hard to hide.

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe said...

I can relate to your poem. I got my dad’s nose and passed it on to one of my daughters. She was lucky enough to break it in sports and now has a designer schnozz. It seems impossible, but her daughters seem to have inherited the surgeons version.

Your funnies were especially funny this week.

Marie Smith said...

Love that attitude in the last meme.

My relatives are an interesting bunch.
Some I like to meet for lunch.
Others I just never see
But that’s perfectly ok with me.

Steve Reed said...

LOVE the primate memes! The "eight-o-clock-face" is especially awesome.

Bonnie said...

Love your poem - to the point! These funnies are hilarious! You always find the best. I love the "nature's tail"! When my son was a toddler he had a coat with a little pointed hood on it and we would hold on to the point on his hood to keep him with us when out. Whatever works, right!

jenny_o said...

It's like a lottery, isn't it? And some win and some lose! Ah, maybe your daughter will come to be proud of her connection to your father - that's how I feel now that I'm older :)

jenny_o said...

Yes - I know what you're talking about. My nose is actually a combination of the worst parts of both my parents' noses - a bump from my dad, a bulb from my mom . . . sighhh.

We need a sarcasm punctuation mark, don't we? :)

jenny_o said...

Oh, yes - hair and baldness - always an important gift, one way or the other, from our folks. I think baldness is passed through the mother's genes, if I'm not mistaken, which would explain your lucky head of hair!

jenny_o said...

I finally realized it wasn't fair to make people guess what the "rules" are . . . after four years . . . slow learner :)

Glad you got a giggle. I have so much fun collecting memes, and have so many it's easy to create a theme.

jenny_o said...

Hah - I laugh at that one too :)

jenny_o said...

Aren't they, though - I wear glasses, which helps :)

jenny_o said...

Glad you enjoyed them, Arleen! Yes, isn't that strange how your granddaughters got the "new" nose! Lucky them! I got my dad's nose (and part of my mom's) - luckily our daughter got my husband's nose instead :)

jenny_o said...

Ha ha! I LOVE your poem, Marie! So true :)

jenny_o said...

I've worn that face a few times - you, too? lol

jenny_o said...

Absolutely! lol There are times a tail on a toddler would come in handy, but a hood is good!

Joan (Devon) said...

It's hard to pick a favourite of your funnies, but I thought the computer one was so true.

I know I inherited my wild, bushy hair from my dads side. Not him, although he did have thick hair, but my aunt, his sister, had the same hair as I had. (I say had as due to thyroid problems my hair has become finer and funnily enough I do miss my wild hair). Looking further back my grandma, their mother, had thick hair, but it was contained with a ribbon pulling it back when she was a child and later pinned up in the style of the time and her mother had the same thick hair pinned up. My youngest brother also had thick hair when he was younger, but obviously had it short. My daughter also has thick hair, but not the wild and bushy type. My two grand-daughters don't seem to have inherited it at all, so maybe I was the last to inherit this family heirloom.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

RELATIVES

Relative to the stars I am very small
Relative to an ant I am pretty tall
Relative to a pauper I have such a lot
Relative to a prince I earned everything I've got
Relative to monkeys I am poor at climbing trees
Relative to priests I spend less time on my knees
Relative to leaving it is better to arrive
Relative to death I am pleased to be alive

jenny_o said...

It's fascinating to look both backward and forward in the family tree and find features that repeat - or not - isn't it? Maybe your hair will pop up in a generation down the road.

jenny_o said...

I like your off-the-track-and-into-the-bushes take on this topic, YP. Thanks for taking part this week.

Joanne Noragon said...

The road super and I each had a version of Not my Circus. Mine said Not my Monkeys;his said Not my Clowns.

Susan said...

It is interesting to see what is passed through the generations. I'm so glad my children ended up with dark brown eyes and long eyelashes from my husband"s side. Unfortunately my daughter and her son got my big head with the bumps on the side. You win some, you lose some.

jenny_o said...

And they both work!

jenny_o said...

So true! And in the end, it's okay :)

e said...

Relatives, some you love, some you don[t...Always interesting, especially since you may look a bit like spmeone you have never seen...

jenny_o said...

Yes, especially if they pre-dated the advent of photography, or are newly discovered :)

messymimi said...

You nailed it with where the nose came from, Uncle P proves it. Thanks for the great laughs, and i'm sorry i am so far behind on reading blogs.

Cherie said...

The older I get the more I can see my mother staring back at me from the mirror. And I did chuckle at those funnies.

Diane Stringam Tolley said...

Yep. I’m my Mom. Top to toe.
Laughed till I was crying at the funnies! Perfect way to end my day!

jenny_o said...

Never worry about reading blogs when life gets hectic, Mimi :)

Glad you enjoyed!

jenny_o said...

Oh my goodness - YES - me too! (mother in the mirror)

jenny_o said...

Being your mom is a GOOD thing! Glad you enjoyed the funnies :)

baili said...

your poem's last line made me laugh dear Jenny :)

like always you pointed something really is kinda "famous topic" among relatives ,i grew up listening stories about features difference between me and sister and among other cousins :)
even at one point i started to believe that i was may be daughter of mom's maid instead of mom lol

your funnies are absolutely treat for my stomach :))) my laughter might have digested my breakfast lol

i think relatives are way to feel connected with wide spread family ,having diversity in relatives is huge source of learning about human nature ,specially for people like me who socialize less

blessings to your days my precious friend!
take great care!

Geo. said...

Delightful photos! In the late '60s I rented an apartment near the Wm. Land Park Zoo and made friends with a Gibbon there. He would reach out through the mesh of his cage and just hold my hand. I would talk with him. He would reply with his eyes and the strength of his grip. We helped each other through a lonely time, and I still think of him.

jenny_o said...

"having diversity in relatives is huge source of learning about human nature ,specially for people like me who socialize less" - That is a great observation, baili. I socialize more with family than others and I agree.

It seems that discussing the inheriting of features - or not - is a popular topic around the world!

Hugs, baili :)

jenny_o said...

That is such a touching story, Geo. Who can doubt that these relatives feel and suffer just like humans? I'm glad you got comfort from each other.

Martha said...

These were hilarious! Tails and the baby sister...hahahaha

Thank you for the smile :)

jenny_o said...

I loved those, too - and the one illustrating what a toddler does in a germy place like a doctor's office - lol. It's just so true for some kids!

Mr. Shife said...

Ahhh ... not my circus, not my monkeys. I love that phrase. Not sure when I first picked it up but I use it often. I think it originated Poland. Take care, jenny_o.

jenny_o said...

Now I'm curious and will google it! I like it, too, and use it a lot lately. Have a good week, Mr. & Mrs. S and the little S's ... and Ms F :)

Chickens Consigliere said...

Love my relatives. It's totally my circus and my monkeys! Love the pic of the monkey and the kitten-so cute. And love Geo's story, too. I do wish my relatives had better hair,like Doug's mother, though. That would have been nice.

jenny_o said...

My relatives are my monkeys too - but some of the situations are not my circus - lol